


Kidnapped by the Red Pirate

by gingayellow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Pirate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: Emperor Lotor of the Altean Empire, the man who ended the Galra's destructive ways, has reformed the broken nobleman Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane. All the Emperor asks in return is his hand in marriage--which Shiro offers, even if there is no love in his heart for Lotor. He won't be happy, but his grandfather will have a proper funeral, and peace will be furthered in the world.All of this is compromised when Shiro is kidnapped by the Red Pirate Keith Kogane.But as Shiro learns about his kidnappers, and Lotor, he realizes that the real prison was the one Lotor had built for him.[Sheith obviously, pirate AU, ships and warnings in the header! If I missed anything, let me know]





	1. Chapter 1

Title: Kidnapped by the Red Pirate  
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith, one-sided Lotor/Shiro, past Allura/Lotor, background Allura/Lance  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: Violence, kidnapping, power imbalance in almost every ship here lol. Being forced to look at corpses? Familial death mentionings. Shiro gets a knife held to his throat at least once. @_@  
Notes: Written for the unconventionalromance comm. The idea is that you adapt a romance novel’s summary for your fic, and this is what I went with.

\--

“You should be happy, Shiro.” Daval circled him slowly. “After all, Blood Emperor Lotor has done much to prove his devotion to you.” She tapped the new, metal arm with deliberate emphasis. “Your new arm, of course, but also your name. The Shirogane house was in decline for generations, but now…” She smiled at him toothily. “Now you will be the Emperor’s consort. That’s the kind of social elevation that only happens in fairy tales.”

“I know. And I am,” Shiro lied for Daval’s sake. She was not his favorite person in the world, and her status as Lotor’s governess meant that she could not be trusted, but she still had treated him decently during his recovery and had an unyielding (if frustrating) moral code. He liked her more than Lotor, at least. “It’s just wedding day jitters, that’s all.”

“There’s absolutely nothing to fear. Lotor is a brilliant scholar and soldier. You’ll be protected and cared for the rest of your life. Now if you excuse me,” she said with a curt curtsy, “I am needed above deck.”

“Of course.” He waited until the door was shut, locked, and locked again until he permitted himself to collapse against the bed’s too soft pillows. Daval needn’t enthuse about Lotor. He had met the Altean Emperor many times—during his first screenings as a possible subject for the experiment, during his recovery, and as they prepared for the marriage. Lotor was brilliant. He had united the Empire, making it a global force for the first time in centuries. He helped create Shiro’s arm. He was articulate, well-read, and handsome. Yes, there was no love. This was a marriage forged on Shiro’s need to repay Lotor for his generosity, and Lotor needing to make an alliance with the Sky Kingdom—Lotor had explained that to Shiro when he proposed. _Lord Takashi, while I do not claim to feel love for you, I do feel devotion. And I sense you feel the same way._ Such pity and compassion for the broken lord of the Shirogane house, the lord Lotor has nursed back to health. _Such an arrangement is not ideal, but the benefits outweigh the negatives. I will not claim dominion over you in any way—this marriage is political, not intimate. But if I would ever feel anything… of that nature for anyone, it would be you, Takashi._ Ostensibly, Lotor would make for an excellent husband, even in a marriage of mutual convenience. 

But he always gripped Shiro’s fingers a little too tightly. There was always something cold in his eyes. There were also the servants and soldiers who always seemed to disappear or get reassigned to the icy north of the Empire if they vocally disagreed with the Emperor. 

When they spoke, it was always about how the good the Shirogane name—poor but still respected—would do for the Altean Empire. What good Shiro would do for both their peoples. Duty was one thing, but he still didn’t know anything about Lotor except that he was brilliant and ruthless to his dissenters. Lotor didn’t know anything about Shiro except how he was so, so useful to Lotor. 

This marriage was a mistake.

But… but Lotor had found him, after the accident. He’d built this incredibly advanced prosthetic arm for him. He’d paid for the Empire’s greatest doctors, stayed by Shiro’s side as he healed. Lotor had ensured that Shiro’s grandfather had a proper burial. He owed so much to Lotor—he couldn’t refuse him. Not just based off a bad feeling. 

Maybe a bath would help. At least, it would take his mind off things.

\--

It didn’t. Despite being currently located in his castle in the heart of the Altean Empire, hundreds of miles from the royal ship, Shiro could **feel** the Emperor’s cold eyes on him, sizing him up. Well. Better get used to it. In three days, he’d be the Emperor’s consort, and Lotor could look at him whenever he wanted. 

Shiro frowned as he tightened the robe around his naked body. He had never liked the feel of silk (too slimy), but that was all the ship had. Shiro stepped into his room, and—and there was a gloved hand covered his mouth, and a knife pressed against his throat.

“Don’t scream,” someone whispered into his ear, soft and calm, a warm body pressed tightly against his back. When Shiro nodded, the hand left his mouth, and moved to Shiro’s own hands, binding them with an impossible strength. The knife was still at his throat. 

“Who are you?” Shiro supposed he should be afraid, but it wasn’t the first time he’d faced death. Right now, he was more annoyed at himself than anything else—he’d been so keyed up about Lotor “watching him” while he bathed, he hadn’t noticed someone sneak into his cabin.

“I’m a man who’s accomplishing his goals,” his attacker breathed, with just a hint of confidence that if Shiro didn’t have a knife to this throat, he might have found appealing. “And you are going to tell me where Lotor’s treasure is.”

“Treasure?” Shiro scanned his memories of Lotor’s conversations, but nothing felt familiar. “Sorry, friend, but I’m not important enough for Lotor to share that secret with.”

“You’re his lover,” the stranger hissed, applying pressure to Shiro’s hands (which was strange, since surely applying pressure to the knife would have made a more effective threat, but Shiro was in no mood to point that out). “He must tell you everything.”

“Actually, it’s a political marriage. He only tells me what I need to know—” Shiro yelped more in surprise than pain as the stranger somehow bound his hands, and finally removed the knife—and shoved Shiro in the direction of the bed.

Shiro landed on the mattress with a heavy thud, the blasted robe revealing more leg than he would have liked, but he had bigger concerns. “Again, it’s a political marriage.” He gazed into his captor’s face for the first time. He was masked—all Shiro could see was the sharp jawline, and thick, dark hair. He was slighter in build than Shiro, but his body language revealed who he really was: a warrior. “I know as much about this treasure as you do.”

“Of course Lotor would force someone into marriage,” the stranger spat out, which made something tighten in Shiro’s chest. Pity from Lotor was bad enough. From his captor? He would not tolerate it.

“No one’s forcing me to do this. I agreed. And while I have my qualms with Lotor, at least he doesn’t hold a knife to my throat—” Suddenly, the stranger was in his personal space.

“You may not feel it right now, but Lotor’s got his claws in you, Lord Takashi. It’s just a matter until he starts twisting.” He cupped Shiro’s chin in his long, thin fingers. “And you must know that I was bluffing by now.”

“Were you?” Shiro whispered, leaning in just enough so his captor would know how close they were—and to the stranger’s credit, he backed away. “First, it’s just Shiro.” He hated how Lotor would draw out his first name, like it was some secret only Lotor got to know. “Second, if I knew where the treasure was, I would tell you. But I promise, he’s never told me anything. I’m a resource to him, not a partner.” It was the truth, but it still hurt to say.

The stranger was silent for a moment, and Shiro had a sinking feeling he was being pitied again. “Any hint would help. It’s called the Arm.”

… Oh. “When you put it that way, I may know something after all.” He twisted so his captor could get a look. Push my right robe sleeve up.”

His captor sat closely behind him, strangely intimate as he pushed the sleeve up. “I… I knew Lotor was experimenting with the Arm, but using his own fiancé to throw us off…”

“He didn’t use me. I consented,” Shiro said automatically. “I was broken, and he reformed me.” He huffed, suddenly very tired. “Look, if you want the prosthetic, go ahead. It’s going to take you while to saw it off, though.” No one had bothered to explain the details to him—when someone as brilliant as Lotor would be by your side, did you really need to know anything—but he understood that his new arm was connected to his nerves. He couldn’t just take it off, even if he wanted to.

“Point taken.” His captor sighed heavily, eyes shadowed, and Shiro felt the tiniest twinge of pity. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Before Shiro could blink, much less shout, the stranger had gagged him. “But for all our sakes, I have to take you with me.”

The stranger slung Shiro over his shoulder—which considering the difference in their heights and builds, was amazing. What was also amazing was how the stranger kicked down the door, weaves his way through guards, and leapt off the ship, all with Shiro on his person.

\--

Shiro wasn’t quite ready to open his eyes after the jump, but he realized that since he wasn’t drowning, that probably meant that they were on a boat—probably how the stranger first approached the Empire’s flagship, and his plan for escaping. And it was indeed escaping—far faster than any other ship Shiro had boarded in his life. There was also some strange sound that muted the shouts, which meant that there was someone else. Warily, he opened his eyes. His captor was in the boat, arms folded across his chest. There was also a stocky young man sitting next to some strange device.

“Aw, geez, the motor’s about to overheat,” the young man’s voice was laced with panic. “If you hadn’t felt the need to **kidnap** someone, Keith, we wouldn’t be in this mess! You were supposed to just find the Arm—”

“Which is attached to Lotor’s consort,” his captor—Keith—snapped back. “I didn’t want to kidnap anyone, but I had no choice.”

Shiro nudged the young man. “Oh, sorry, buddy, I swear, this is highly unusual for us.” He gently removed Shiro’s gag. 

“You don’t say,” Shiro informed the young man. “Keith, you said you were taking me for all our sakes, but I’m currently not seeing how that is any better than Lotor.” He was just someone else’s prisoner now.

“Do you have any idea what he’s capable of?!” The fury in Keith’s tone made Shiro pause, despite everything. “I’m sorry about kidnapping you, but trust me, it’s better than whatever Lotor has planned for you.”

Shiro frowned. “You keep saying that, Keith, but then you do things like tying me up and gagging me.”

“Here, let me. I’m Hunk, by the way” Shiro didn’t resist as Hunk took out a pen knife and began to cut Shiro’s bonds. “Keith can be a little too ‘ends justify the means’ sometimes, but he has a point. Did Lotor ever tell you about what your Arm is made of?”

“I’m Shiro. And no.” Shiro flexed his wrists carefully after Hunk freed them. “I asked, but he always dismissed my questions. He said I’d be bored with all the technical terms.”

Hunk gazed at Shiro sadly. “We’re not privy to all the information either, but… there are metals and energies in this,” he ran a finger against Shiro’s prosthetic, “that are usually used in Galra druid ceremonies.”

“But—but Lotor destroyed the Galra Empire.” The brave young Emperor, taking control of the chaotic Altean Alliance, and then destroying their foes in his first year of rule. Why would they—”

“We don’t know, but we have our suspicions. And you must realize that we cannot allow Lotor to find you.” There was something in Keith’s voice that despite everything, made Shiro believe him.

“If you’re telling the truth, then yes.” Shiro gazed down at Lotor’s glorious gift. “But please understand that if your plan is to toss me off a boat and let me drown, I will resist.”

“What?!” Hunk looked like he was going to cry at even the idea—and to Shiro’s surprise, Keith had also recoiled in horror. “No. No, we don’t kill people. We steal, but we don’t kill.” Hunk’s large hand ran through his black hair. “You…”

“You’re our captive,” Keith supplied helpfully, and Shiro had to bite a laugh at Hunk’s reaction. “There’s still a chance you’d run to Lotor, after all. But as long as you don’t try anything, you’ll be free to do what you want on our ship.”

Shiro didn’t trust Lotor, even before he found out that there was something in his prosthetic that was worth Keith and Hunk risking their lives for. He had no desire to marry a man he didn’t trust or love. Of course, he had no desire to be kidnapped as well. And yet… he trusted Hunk. And even after being kidnapped, he… he trusted Keith. At least, he trusted him more than he trusted Lotor. 

“Well, who could resist an offer like that? Certainly not me, what with my being kidnapped and all.”

Keith frowned. “Are you always going to make bleak jokes like that?”

“Yes. But I won’t try to escape.” 

“Well, good to know this won’t affect your sense of humor.”

“Wait.” Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s arm. “How do I know you’ll hold up your end of this bargain? It seems unfair that I’m forfeiting my freedom just on your word.”

“You’re right,” Keith admitted. He reached up for his mask, revealing a young, sharp face, with dark indigo eyes. “If you escape, you know what I look like—and what my shipmates look like. My freedom is at stake as much as your yours. Our destinies are intermingled.” 

“I.” Shiro couldn’t stop looking into Keith’s eyes; it was like Keith could see into his soul. “I suppose you’re right. From now on, our fates are one.”

\--

Keith and Hunk’s ship was smaller than Lotor’s flagship, _Honerva_ , but there was a sleekness to it that Lotor’s ships lacked. There were also several machines that Shiro asked Hunk about—who gave an interesting rundown of what they were and what they could do, but Shiro would need to do a lot of studying before he fully understood it all—and he has studied mechanics as a student. 

“I’m going to get you clothes,” Keith informed him. “Please wait here.”

“What else am I going to do?” Intermingled fates aside, Keith still had the power here. And yet… someone with the power shouldn’t have flinched at those words the way Keith did.

Keith mumbled something about returning shortly and stalked off.

“He’s grouchy on the outside, but he really does have a big heart. And a strong sense of morality.” Hunk smiled weakly. “Which I know is weird for a pirate, but it’s true. I’m going to make you a quick dinner, okay?”

“Thank you,” Shiro said. It was a little strange, watching his captors go off to make sure he was fed and clothed, but he was hardly in a position to refuse.

He was also currently alone on deck. Hmm. They weren’t very good at this kidnapping thing.

 

“Did Hunk and Keith kidnap Lotor’s fiancé?” A pretty Altean girl stomped up to them, frowning severely. She looked familiar, but Shiro couldn’t quite place her. She turned her attention to Shiro. “Please tell me you’re not Lotor’s fiancé. Please tell me you just look like his portrait.”

Shiro shrugged guiltily.

The girl sighed heavily. “Well, for what it’s worth, we’ll keep you safe from Lotor.”

“I appreciate that, miss.” Shiro did his best to smile. “But I assure you, Lotor was nothing but…” ‘Kind’ wasn’t the word he’d use for Lotor. “Respectful to me. I understand he’s done suspicious things, but never to me.” He was only too aware of the colder parts of Lotor’s soul, but he wouldn’t ignore the good things, either. People had mixed natures, after all.

The girl gave Shiro a dark look as she gave his metal arm a quick look over. “Did he say that he would respect your freedom, even if you didn’t love him? If he ever felt love, it would be for you?”

Shiro shuddered. “Yes.” There was no way she could have known that except… “You’re Princess Allura, aren’t you?”

“It’s just Allura for now.”

“I—Lotor said you were dead.” She was Lotor’s first wife. The woman who reporters said could heal the darkness and tragedy in his life and help him rise above his wicked father and redeem himself and what remained of the Galra in the process—and then five years later, tearfully declared that she had died, her last act giving her husband the Altean throne. 

Allura nodded grimly. “I will spare you the gory details, but… when I discovered Lotor’s real plans for my kingdom, I confronted him. He confronted me with my own guards.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Only one guard sided with me, and it is only through his courage that I am here today.”

“Hey, Allura!!!” A gangly boy screamed, waving—and then stumbled as he rushed to her side.

Shiro pointed to the boy on the ground. “Is that him?”

Allura huffed. “Yes. His name is Lance, and what he lacks in adroitness he more than makes up for in quick-thinking and loyalty.”

“Yeah, exactly! I mean, hey!” Lance feigned outrage. “Are you saying I may be a little… goofy sometimes?”

Allura smiled for the first time Shiro had seen her. “Only sometimes.”

“Anyways, I should introduce myself. Hunk filled me in.” Lance held out a hand. “You must be the ‘lucky’ guy Lotor used to hide his Arm.”

“I guess so.” Shiro fought to steady himself. He’d never been foolish enough to think Lotor was kind. But to do this, to your own wife? It was getting harder to wish Keith hadn’t kidnapped him. 

“I’m, um, not completely sure how this is going to work out, especially since judging form the look of your Arm it can’t just be removed, but we’ll keep you safe from Lotor.”

“Thank you,” he said, because what else could he say? Lotor—who’d fed him, clothed him, saved his life, and claimed to at least care for him—had tried to kill his wife. And was in the process of doing something so terrible that she was willing to become a pirate instead of ‘merely’ accepting exile in a neighboring country. 

And he was engaged to Lotor.

He could never go home.

“Shiro?” Keith was by his side, clothes in his hand. “Are you okay?”

He shivered in the night air, clad only in a robe that was too thin and too revealing, leaving his legs bare and slipping off his shoulders. “No.” He felt too bad to put up a brave front. 

“Then if you want, I can escort you to your room.” Keith smiled, a little. “It is late, after all.”

“But Hunk—” 

“Can leave the food in your room. Come on.”

The room was smaller than the one on _Honerva_ , but it had a bed, and a door with no locks. Keith handed him the clothes, asking Shiro to let him know if they didn’t fit. 

“I will. Thank you.”

Keith looked up at him with those blasted eyes of his—except now he looked so, so sad. “I’ve done nothing to earn your thanks.”

\--

“No need to thank me,” Hunk said like he did every morning for the past week Shiro had been on the ship, carrying a tray of real food (not the sustenance units back on Lotor’s ship). “I’m just bringing you your second real meal in however long you were with Lotor.”

“Trust me, it’s appreciated,” Shiro said as he cleared his desk so Hunk could set the food down. The majority of his past meals had either come at the end of a cafeteria line, or a ration pack. “I think the last time I had food this good was when my grandfather was still alive.” He helped himself to an orange, peeling as fast as his prosthetic would permit him. “How do you manage to have this much fresh food on a ship?” It was only one of the many wonders here. “And by the way, I have a few questions about the bathroom—”

“It’s this little something I call ‘plumbing,’” Hunk said with a hint of pride. “As for your first question, we keep a little garden on the ship. And a cow.” He held up the small wheel of cheese on Shiro’s plate. “When Princess Allura escaped, she took some of her father’s old plans. I helped with the engineering stuff, she did the magic—”

The door slammed open, revealing a furious-looking girl with long, brown hair. “Where is he?!”

“And the evil girl there helped with the technical parts.” Shiro yelped as she began poking at his metal arm. “Don’t worry, she’s just running a quick maintenance to make sure it’s not going to blow up or whatever.”

“I feel so much better,” Shiro said sourly. “I don’t believe I got your name, Miss…”

“Pidge.”

Hunk chuckled at Shiro’s expression. “I know it’s a weird nickname, but her brother gave it to her, and she’s on this vengeance quest to find him after Lotor—”

“Hey!” Pidge huffed, adjusting her glasses. “I can tell my origin story on my own, thank you.”

“Wait.” Shiro’s gut twisted at Lotor’s name, but he needed to know. “What did Lotor did to your brother?”

“It’s not an unusual story, unfortunately.” Pidge kept her eyes on her work. “Lotor’s general came and said that he was so impressed with Matt, he needed him on some special project. When Matt asked what that project involved, Lotor said it was too secret to share until Matt was safe in his castle. So, Matt realized something creepy was going on and he refused. The next week, he was arrested.” She took a deep breath, closing a panel on Shiro’s arm. “Same thing would have happened to Hunk, if Allura and I hadn’t found him in time.” Hunk nodded grimly. 

Appetite gone, Shiro tried to look Pidge in the eye, but he couldn’t. “I’m sorry. If I had known—maybe I could have convinced him—” 

Pidge stilled… but then patted his metal arm. “You were engaged to him. You know what he’s like. The Arm—sorry, your Arm—is fine, by the way.” 

“Hey, how did a nice guy like you get engaged to Lotor, anyways?” Hunk helped himself to a slice of cheese, feet propped up on a spare chair. “I mean, Allura had power and land. No offense, but you were—”   
“Poor as a church mouse?” He wasn’t ashamed of it. “Well, since I had no money or land to support myself or my grandfather, I joined the army. This was back when we were at war with the Galra.” He leaned back in his seat. Lotor had always told him not to talk about this—that it would only upset him—and for a long time, Shiro agreed with him. But it had been years since the attack. “I don’t remember a lot about what happened, but a few soldiers ambushed me, and I loss an arm in the attack. Luckily, Lotor intervened and brought me to his personal hospital and team of doctors. If it weren’t for him, my family would have been ruined…” Except what did that compare to Hunk having to leave his family so Lotor couldn’t use him? Or Pidge losing her brother? All the little things he could excuse because Lotor gave his grandfather the funeral he deserved, because he saved Shiro’s life were becoming things that he could not ignore anymore.

“I’m never going back to Lotor. I’ll die first.”

And the force of his words must have been stronger than Shiro realized since Hunk nearly fell out of his chair. “Um, while we’re thrilled that you and your Arm are rejoining Lotor anytime soon, I am kinda curious what you next move is,” Pidge said.

“I—I don’t know,” Shiro admitted. “It’s been awhile since I had to think for myself.” He’d let Lotor make all the decisions for him because it was too much, too scary after his injuries. Without realizing it, he’d ceded Lotor his will, bit by bit. 

“Well, why don’t you just stay with us?” Hunk offered.

Pidge glowered at Hunk. “We kidnapped him. He doesn’t have much of choice there, does he?”

“That did happen, yes… but I’ve been left in an unlocked room, unsupervised for hours, within eyesight of the smaller vessels.” This wasn’t the best (or safest) idea, but he was not living in the best or safest times. “And frankly, you all have given me more freedom than Lotor ever did.”

“Hrn.” Hunk frowned. “You’re not falling in love with your captors or anything, are ya?”

Shiro gave it a moment’s thought. “Don’t think so.”

“Oh, wow. That’s reassuring.” Pidge started to put her tools away. “Well, I’ll tell you what I know. We’re to treat you like an honored guest. And when Lotor is dethroned, you’re to be set free.”

Shiro blinked. “I didn’t realize you had the authority to decide that on your own, Pidge.”

“I didn’t. Keith did. He told me so this morning.” She snapped her toolbox shut. “He’s the closest thing we have to a captain here.” 

Shiro watched as Pidge left. “Keith is, ah, an interesting man,” he said to Hunk.

Hunk smiled. “Yeah. I know he’s grouchy almost all the time, but he’s got his reasons—”

“Reasons?”

“Well, awhile back we learned that—oh, no, you’re not tricking me with your friendly demeanor, Shiro.” Hunk stood up, dusting off his pants. “The last thing I need is Keith getting mad at me for spilling his secrets. If you want to know something about him, you need to ask him.”

“But I haven’t seen him since I first arrived here!” But Hunk was already gone, leaving Shiro to his own devices. 

\--

Shiro hadn’t explored the ship too much (just the mess hall, where he helped Hunk, and the library) because he didn’t want to intrude. Today, however, he was on a mission. After some subtle interrogation (“Hunk, Keith is so fit, where does he find the time to lift?”), he knew that there was a strong possibility that Keith would come train in the ship’s gym today. So, he would as well. Even if he didn’t meet Keith, he needed to work out. Between his recovery and Lotor’s… intense courtship, he had left little time to train. He wasn’t out of shape, but he had definitely atrophied, and that bothered him. If he was going to gain even some of his independence back, he needed to make sure he could protect himself.

The trousers were fine for some practice, but Shiro removed the shirt, folding it neatly before placing it on the floor. He was halfway through his katas when he heard a voice.

“Sorry.” Keith looked away, face red (probably guilty that he had ‘intruded’) I can leave.”

“Please don’t.” Shiro paused in his movements, then approached Keith. “If anything, I could use a sparring partner.” Lotor preferred training alone. 

Keith perked up… but then looked away. Hrn. Perhaps it was time to play a little dirty.

“Unless, of course, you’re afraid of taking me without the advantage of surprise.”

Keith bristled. “I… extracted you even as a dozen guards attacked us. I don’t need any advantage.”

“Big talk, captain.” Shiro slipped into a fighting stance. 

“Fine.” Keith divested himself of his own shirt, and Shiro… well, he shouldn’t be surprised. Keith was a pirate who carry someone Shiro’s size like a ragdoll; of course he’d be built. But there was lethal grace to his angular body that Shiro couldn’t help but admire. There was also a deep scar on his right shoulder… Keith shifted his body, so Shiro could only see his right side.

“Sorry. I of all people shouldn’t make you feel self-conscious.” Shiro’s metal fingers hovered the scar on his nose that he assumed he received when the Galra attacked him. He wanted to learn more about Keith, but not if it made him this uneasy. “I can leave.”

“No. Please don’t.” Keith turned so Shiro could see him, scars and all. “I mean, we both have scars. But if you don’t care, I don’t care.”

Shiro smiled. “Fantastic. And on that note, let’s beat each other up.”

\--

Maybe Shiro should have done some more katas before challenging Keith.

He knew that Keith was skilled, and that Keith was fast on his feet—after all, he’d kidnapped the fiancé of the Altean Emperor without breaking a sweat. But taking him on in combat, even if they were ‘only’ sparring, was something else. Keith put all of himself in every move, every thrust. It took everything Shiro had not to get thrown across the room—he was fighting a warrior in body and heart, someone who would never quit.

That was exciting in ways Shiro would analyze fully later.

Regardless, he was distracted enough that Keith managed a successful leg sweep, leaving Shiro on the ground. Keith pounced on him a moment later.

Shiro struggled, but Keith’s right hand was pinning his wrist down, and his thighs kept him from getting up. “Whelp. Guess this is the part where you rip my heart out and present it as trophy.”

Keith huffed. “Are you always this macabre?”

“I was this close to marrying Emperor Lotor, so yes. You would be too.” Keith had relaxed his grip but hadn’t gotten up yet… and Shiro didn’t feel like asking Keith to move. 

“Do you hate all Galra, Shiro?”

“I. What?”

Keith looked away, dark hair falling into his eyes. “Hunk spilled the beans, and I just. I wouldn’t blame you. They took your arm. I just want… I need to know, Shiro.”

Shiro let out a slow breath. “It was an ugly war, and both sides had their biases. But I’ve tried to not let biases rule my life.” There were things he could not tell Keith. How Lotor ‘wooed’ him with by presenting him the corpse of the soldiers who’d attacked him. How Lotor had banished his Galra tutor and friend, Ulaz, because ‘he would not allow Galra corruption to harm his betrothed any further.’ Or the gruesome reports of Lotor conquering the Galra Empire… it was hard to be mad about an arm as the Galra Empire was broken and reformed into the newest part of the Altean Empire. “Why do you ask?”

Keith still wouldn’t look at him.

Shiro reached up, his left hand pushing the hair out of Keith’s eyes. It was a bold move. Maybe even foolish, considering their past. But right now? Keith seemed so sad and far way, and all Shiro wanted to do was remind him that whatever had happened, they were past that now. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me.”

“Shiro…”

“We both have our secrets. We might have to keep them forever. But that doesn’t change how I feel for you.”

“It should.”

“Keith. I wasn’t a fool. I knew Lotor would make for a poor husband at best when I agreed to marry him.” He ran his thumb against Keith’s cheek. “But I’ve learned things about him that have made it clear that I probably would not have survived the marriage.” Allura managed to escape, thanks to her friends. Lotor had made sure Shiro had no friends. Now he understood why. “Yes, you had to resort to… creative means to make sure my Arm wouldn’t fall into Lotor’s hands, but I have never felt freer than I have on this ship.” His metal hand reached out, holding Keith’s hand carefully. “Then I have when I am with you.” 

Keith leapt off him like he was burned, muttering something about needing to talk to Allura.

Shiro groaned, staring up at the ceiling. “Smooth, Shirogane. Smooth.”

\--

The next morning, Keith joined them at breakfast—although judging from the wary looks Hunk and Allura gave their captain as he took his seat, Shiro doubted it was Keith’s choice. He nibbled at a biscuit and debated if he should try talking to Keith.

“Lance,” Keith said, pouring himself some coffee, “are we still on schedule?”

“Yeah,” Lance helped himself to some more eggs. “We’ll be at Olkarion in a week And then,” Lance said as he turned to Allura, grinning cheekily, “I can finally get you that super shiny bracelet you had your eye on last time we visited.”

“Lance!” Allura’s tone was somewhere between embarrassment and mirth. “But you’re right, I do like shiny things.” She smirked at him. “Too bad your pocketbook disagrees with you.” Lance sighed heavily… but nodded in agreement.

Shiro couldn’t hide his smile. Lance was… a little much, but funny and sweet. Everyone here was sweet, really. It was so different than the reality he’d lived for the past few years that it was boggling at times, but he could get used to it—except for the one wrinkle that was Captain Keith Kogane. Hmm. “So, Keith,” Shiro said before taking a sip of his own coffee, “what are your plans when you get to Olkarion?”

Keith wouldn’t talk to him. Or look at him.

But Shiro couldn’t let that deter him anymore. “I can’t leave the ship because I would almost be definitely be grabbed by Galra soldiers only too eager to reunite me with my ‘loving’ fiancé, so I’ll have to get my travels vicariously for awhile.”

Keith didn’t budge. The stubborn fool.

Hunk cleared his throat. “Hey, um, everyone, how ‘bout you guys help me clean up and let Shiro and Keith work out… whatever’s going on between them?” The others agreed quietly, and cleaned quickly, leaving Shiro alone with Keith.

“You know, I don’t hate you for taking me away from Lotor. In fact, you did me a favor.”

“I kidnapped you.”

“And yet, here I am, of my own free will, eating breakfast, and giving my ‘captor’ a hard time.”

“I held a knife to your throat.” 

“Yeah, I’d rather you never did that again,” Shiro admitted, taking another sip. “But it was… an intense situation. You had no idea if I was loyal to Lotor or not. I don’t blame—”

“Shut up—just shut up!” Keith banged his fork on the table, then flinched. “I’m sorry, but—you don’t understand.”

… He was getting tired of Keith not listening to him. “What wouldn’t I understand?” Shiro asked, after taking a moment to make sure his tone was neutral.

“You’re too innocent—too good to understand what all this is about.” And lord help him, but Keith was sincere in tone and expression. He honestly believed every word he said. “I’m a pirate. I’m fighting a war, and my tactics aren’t as pure as I’d like. I’m not a good person, Shiro, so you need to stop acting like we could—like I’m even half as good as you are.”

Shiro stood up slowly. “So, the problem is that I’m innocent and good.”

“Yes! No. I mean—”

Shiro walked around the table, strides even. “And that you’re protecting me from yourself, and all your rough, violent tendencies.”

“Yes.”

Keith had let his guard down, so it was very easy. Shiro was already behind him, so all he really had to do was grab Keith, and use his own weight to send him flying to the floor. Shiro was on him an instant later, pinning him down. Keith struggled for what felt like forever, but finally limp against Shiro’s superior strength. Shiro was now in full control of his ‘captor.’

“This is your reminder,” Shiro breathed in Keith’s ear, “that I can take care of myself. I can escape whenever I want.”

He let Keith go, who looked up at Shiro in amazement. “But Keith, please believe. I’m happy here. I’m happy with you. But don’t you **dare** pedestalize me, or I will kick you butt so hard.” His voice shook as he spoke, but he didn’t care. He was tired of representing everything Keith hated about himself. He wanted to be Keith’s equal. A friend.

“… Duly noted,” Keith whispered. “How did you…?”

“You’re a good soldier Keith, and exceptionally skilled. But when you let your emotions get the better of you, you’re compromised. You’ve learned so much about combat, now all you need to learn is patience.”

“You sound like my father.” Keith frowned, eyes far away for a moment, but then turned his attention to Shiro. “But you’re right. I’m sorry; you’re a free being who can make his own decision. If I try to force you to do anything, I’m as bad as Lotor.”

“I don’t think anyone can be as bad as Lotor.” He’d proven his point, and he had things to do. He wanted to talk to Hunk. See if there was anything he could to do to help the crew. “But Keith?”

“Yes?”

“It’s been awhile since anyone thought I was innocent. Or good.” He made a fist with his right hand without fully realizing it. “So, I thank you for that.”

Keith watched Shiro as he left. “I guess I’m not the only one with some issues.”

\--

It was a chilly night, but Shiro wasn’t in the mood to go back to his cabin just yet. It was a clear night, and the stars were vivid and bright, it hurt his eyes. Back in the Altean capital, there was so much light pollution he was lucky if he caught a glimpse of the moon. But now… now it was almost like he was back home, with his dream of seeing the world, and his grandfather who loved him, and Shiro loved back.

“Hey.” Keith stood next to arm, guarded, but still more open than he had ever been before. “Pretty night.”

“Yes.”

“Do you… mind company?”

Shiro grinned. “No.”

\--

Of course, things couldn’t stay that calm forever. That simply is not the nature of the universe, after all. And they were pirates (and the Emperor’s runway fiancé). It was foolish to think they could elude Lotor’s wrath—and they didn’t. Pidge’s defense system was almost scary in its efficiency. 

But even she couldn’t prepare for everything.

The Altean Empire tended to attack in large numbers, so Pidge had a system to attack large ships. There were programs meant to attack smaller ships, of course, but the attack cam in the form of a Galra who dived from a ship too far away for their ship to detect and swam his way to Kogane’s vessel. 

It was a taxing journey. Even most Galra would have perished. But Sendak was not like most Galra. He placed the mission of recovering the Emperor’s fiancé over his life, or anyone else’s.

\--

Shiro was startled awake. “Who’s there—?” Except no one was there… but he could hear fighting outside.

Silently thankful that Lance had insisted he keep a sword in his room (“Just in case!”). Shiro grabbed it, preparing himself for what waited for him outside his door. The rain was coming down so hard, his clothes stuck to his skin almost immediately. 

“Shiro!” Pidge was soaked to the bone, her voice raw, arm bleeding from an open wound. “You need to get out of here—” Some brute attacked her, and Shiro deflected the blow. 

The attacker—a Galra soldier with an Arm more similar to Shiro’s than he cared to reflect upon—grinned at Shiro savagely. “Lord Shirogane. I am Sendak, your rescuer.” Shiro froze as the soldier lumbered for him—but Pidge tackled Shiro, keeping him out of harm’s range, for now.

“Shiro, get out of here—” Pidge yelped as Sendak threw her off. Shiro just barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor.

“I can’t just sit in my room while you five are risking your lives,” Shiro shouted over the storm, trying to find a safe enough spot to put her down so they could fight properly—right now, he was busy trying to outrun Sendak. 

“Stop!” Keith voice was a roar as his sword met Sendak’s Arm. “You will **not** harm my friends!”

Shiro put Pidge down—who said something about a sneak attack as she sped off. Good—it was clear that this Sendak was a ruthless villain, and he wanted to Pidge to stay far away from him.

Of course, he wanted Keith to stay far away from Sendak as well, but that was a pricklier situation. Keith was fire, wild and unstoppable, but Sendak was relentless, landing more than a few blows on Keith—and blast him, Shiro couldn’t find an opening.

“If you surrender Lord Shirogane, then I will leave,” Sendak promised as he kept countering Keith’s attacks. “He belongs with Lotor, not some half-blooded freak like you.”

That… did something to Keith. He snarled at Sendak, indigo pupils swimming in yellow-tinted eyes. Shiro probably would have kept staring, if Keith hadn’t sliced off Sendak’s Arm.

“Shiro,” Keith growled, low and dangerous, “does not belong to anyone.”

And that was enough to do something to Sendak. He screamed in horror as his Arm/weapon—which gave Shiro enough time to shove him away from Keith.

Then…. something mechanical attached to Sendak’s back, lifting him up into the air and out of sight.

“Told you I had a plan,” Pidge chirped as she ran up to them. “Nice moves, Keith!”

“I… yeah, I guess.” The fury seemed to have faded away, leaving Keith looking weary and… maybe a little sickly. 

“Keith.” Shiro placed his flesh hand against Keith’s forehead. Even with all the rain, he could tell that Keith was warm. “I think we need to get you to bed.” 

“What?” Keith did his best to smile. “Shiro, I’m a pirate. It’s gonna take more than a few scratches to keep me down. I need—I need to check on Allura and Lance…” Except he stumbled, and would have hit the floor if Shiro hadn’t caught him.

“I don’t understand.” Pidge’s eyes were wide with concern. “All Sendak did was graze him, he should be okay.”

… He remembered reading about how some dishonorable Galra of the past would lace their weapons with poison, but Lotor had assured Shiro he had forbidden such a practice. And yet, the proof that Lotor had lied yet again was in Shiro’s arms.

Lotor always lied. Always.

But that didn’t matter right now. “Tell Hunk that we have a medical emergency.” He scooped Keith up in his arms. “I’ll get Keith stable, but we’re going to need to bring down his fever.” 

\--

Shiro piled every blanket he could find onto Keith’s shivering form, but it was no good. He just couldn’t get warm, even after Hunk gave him something for his fever. Hunk had also suggested that Shiro rest, since ‘some creeper showing up and nearly kidnapping you from your kidnappers can’t be good for you emotionally.’ And Shiro appreciated that, and did change into dry clothes. But he would remain by Keith’s side. 

Sendak would have taken him back to Lotor. Back to the chains of an unwanted marriage to a monster. Keith had saved him. Fought for his freedom. No one had ever done that.

His entire life had been plotted out for him. He was a poor nobleman, so he’d serve in the army. Then everything had fallen apart around him, so he would marry and create a strong union. He’d never had any say in what he wanted, or even pretend he could follow his own dreams.

But he did have dreams. And Keith had risked his life for them, and Shiro. 

Keith hadn’t given up on him. Shiro would never give up on him in return.

“Shiro…” Keith rasped, fighting his way back to consciousness. “Are you—what happened—”

“Everything’s fine,” Shiro assured him. “The poison Sendak used is pretty standard stuff in the Empire. Hunk already gave you the antidote, but it’s strange that it seems to be taking so long to work through your system.”

Keith closed his eyes, and Shiro was struck by how young the fever-ridden captain looked. So young, and so brave. “That’s because the poison works best on Galra, and I’m part-Galra.”

“Hunh. Guess that explains the eyes and fangs earlier.” 

Keith opened his eyes warily. “You’re… you’re not afraid of me?”

Shiro rolled his eyes—and tried not to laugh when Keith almost pouted at that. “I told you before, I don’t hate the Galra.”

“Yes, but I know—I’ve been told that when I get like that, I’m.” Keith sighed, eyes on the ceiling. “I’m scary.”

“You were fighting Sendak. You have to be scary in a situation like that.” It was a bold move, but Shiro moved his right hand under the covers, over Keith’s heart. “At your core, you’re a good person.” Except Keith had gone still, and wasn’t listening to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Your hand.” Keith smiled. “It’s really warm.”

“But—but it’s metal.”

“It’s warm,” Keith repeated, holding said hand as he burrowed under the blankets. “It’s the one warm thing in the world, and I’m keepin’ it.”

“Must be the fever talking.” But Keith was resting, and that was what mattered.

Shiro got as comfortable as he could. This wasn’t an ideal situation, but Keith needed to sleep. And if his Arm could offer comfort, even just in Keith’s mind, then he wasn’t moving.

It was strange. But Shiro’s life had been strange since he’d Keith.

\--

“Shiro.”

… He must have dozed off. 

Keith was sitting in bed, sweaty bangs plastered to his forehead. He still looked exhausted, but his eyes were clear. Good—that almost definitely meant that his fever had broken.

“Hey, Keith. How are you feeling?”

“Tired, but better.” Keith gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

“It was the least I could do.” 

Keith shifted. “So, how is everything?”

“We won. We’re currently making a few revisions in the travel schedule, to throw off any possible Galra attackers.” 

“Hrn. It usually takes Lance longer to navigate the ship.”

“Well, I helped him with that.”

Keith perked up at that. “Did you now?”

“Yes.” It was a little silly to be proud of what he’d done, but it was also a reminder that Lotor hadn’t sapped all of his agency. That Keith was right, and he didn’t belong to anyone. “I, um, wanted to be a navigator when I was a little. Chart the seas, go sailing—things like that.” He shrugged. “I guess my dream came true? Sort of?”

“Hm.” Keith smiled at him. “Well, if you ever want to make this a career, just let me know”

Shiro laughed, a little. “I will.”

\--

Final notes: the ending is admittedly a little jarring, and I’m sorry for that. This fic needs to be posted today, and my intended would have been, like, a lot longer. ;_; I hope to make a sequel to this fairly soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Kidnapped by the Red Pirate  
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith, one-sided Lotor/Shiro, past Allura/Lotor, background Allura/Lance  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: Violence, kidnapping, power imbalance in almost every ship here lol. Alluded to animal death, alluded to gaslighting.  
Notes: It took me a long time (and please never expect a schedule for this), but I finally finished part 2. This part is shorter than the first chapter, but it's still very long by my standards. ;_; 

\--

It was a cool, grey morning. Keith was still resting, so Shiro didn’t have much else to do but wander the ship. Eventually he found Lance on deck, tongue stuck out in concentration as he was working on a map. Shiro’s navigating skills were rusty—he hadn’t properly looked at a map in ages; Lotor kept him busy with doctors and using him as arm candy when they visited various diplomats—but he was interested and Lance was friendly. Despite Keith’s earlier comments, Lance was a decent navigator, even if his simple math skills were… not especially sharp.

“I think,” Shiro said as he went over his work one more time. “This is the quickest route to that stop we need to make.” After Sendak had attacked, their ship needed repairs and they needed to stock up on supplies. “I’ve never heard of this Mermaid’s Liar. Are they friendly?”

“They are. Queen Luxia attended Allura’s wedding, and then helped her escape when we realized Lotor is a snake.” Lance flinched. “Sorry. I know he was your fiancé.”

“Trust me, you’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know.” Once again, he sent out a silent thank you to whoever had been kind enough to make sure Keith had saved him in time. “It must be hard for you and Allura, though.”

“I manage,” Lance said with a little more confidence than necessary. “I mean, I’m lucky. I moved to Altea when I was eighteen, but my family is in the Water Kingdom. They’re very, very far away from all this mess. So, when I can send them letters I tell them that after Allura died, I became a traveling knight.” The confidence faded as Lance made some revisions to a map. “I think my sister Veronica has an idea of what I’m actually doing, though.”

“She’d be proud of you, Lance. Your entire family would. You’re protecting your princess, and the true ruler of Altea.”

“… Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am.” Lance smiled slightly. “Princess Allura makes it easy to be brave for her, though. She’s so amazing, and I just…” Lance stilled as Allura stepped on deck, out of earshot. She waved, and they waved back, before she returned to her errands.

“She makes me want to be a better person,” Lance concluded quietly. “How can I not follow her to the ends of the earth?”

Shiro thought of Keith. The man who was brave and just, and saw Shiro as a person, not someone to fight a war or an experiment or a future peace treaty in the making. He didn’t see Shiro as broken, even when Shiro had seen himself as broken.

“I think I understand what you mean, Lance.”

\--

The next few days passed quietly. Shiro helped Lance navigate, Hunk with food preparation, Allura with strategy, and Pidge… well, she did the work, he just handed her the tools. When it was too dark to work, Shiro would retire to Keith’s cabin, and make sure he’d eaten and had water. Keith was a stubborn patient, but Shiro was stubborner. 

“We’ll be meeting with Queen Luxia in about a week,” Shiro said as he helped Keith drink some warm tea. It didn’t seem to help, though. “Would you like another blanket?”

“I have five blankets, Shiro. If I can’t warm up now, I don’t see the point.” He sighed heavily. “This is the worst side effect of being poisoned ever.”

Shiro went over his options. Keith had claimed his metal hand was warm, but of course that had been a fever dream. The tea wasn’t helping. The blankets weren’t helping.

“Maybe we could try body heat?”

Keith inhaled sharply. “I would never assume—”

“I know, I know, I’m super fragile and you’re always scared of hurting me or whatever,” Shiro said with a wave of his hand. “But I’ve been sleeping here while you recover anyways. At least this way I’m in a bed instead of your old couch?”

“I suppose that makes sense.” But then Keith’s expression hardened. “But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Shiro stood and stretched, thankful for the rough, but warm pajamas Hunk had gifted him. It was a vast improvement from the flimsy robe he had when Keith kidnapped him. He eased into bed next to Keith, wrapping his left arm around Keith’s waist. “Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Keith whispered, the shivers subsiding as his breathing evened out.

\--

The bed sharing seemed to do the trick. Keith could warm up, and sleep properly—which meant his body could heal properly at last. Before long, Shiro was helping him on deck so he could get some work done. They’d be arriving at the Mermaid’s Liar soon.

“You must be tired of playing nurse,” Keith said one starry night. It was the first time in awhile Keith felt good enough to stargaze. 

“It’s nice to feel needed.” It was also nice to be out at night, with a cool breeze and constellations. “And it’s the least I can do for you.” Shiro prepared himself for Keith to be annoyingly noble and selfless yet again.

But this time, Keith just made a thoughtful sound, eyes fixed on the stars. “I always prided myself on not needing anyone.”

… Was Keith opening up to him? Finally? “You don’t have to tell me anything Keith, but I won’t lie. If you feel talking, I would love to listen.”

Keith almost smiled at that. “My father died when I was young, and I had no relatives to look after me. Just a knife that Dad said belonged to my mother. So, I became a thief. When I was old enough to keep a boat, I became a pirate.”

“How did you go from being a pirate to fighting against an evil Emperor?”

“My motives, I am ashamed to say, were selfish. I first started working for Allura because she was willing to pay me. But then Allura alerted me to a detail on my mother’s blade.” He withdrew a knife. It was mostly likely the one Keith had held to his throat, Shiro realized, but what he was invested in was the marking on the hilt.

“That’s Galra.”

“Yes. After she told me that, a few things about my past… made more sense. After that, I started searching for any Galra who might know about this symbol.” He took a breath, eyes shining. “And they’ve been helping me look. All of them. Despite my less than beneficent reasons for joining them.” 

“Have you had any luck?”

Keith frowned. “So far, no.”

“Well, isn’t it lucky for you that you’re hanging out with the guy who studied under the Galra, fought them, and almost married one of the most famous Galra in the world.” He held out his flesh. “If you’re all right with letting me look at it, of course.”

Keith stared at his knife for a long, hard moment… and then gave it to Shiro. Gingerly, Shiro examined the hilt. He couldn’t place it, but it looked so familiar…

_“Where did you put Ulaz’s journals?” It took every diplomatic trick Shiro knew not to let fury lace his tone._

_“When I sent Ulaz away, I made sure he took his things with him.” Lotor smiled at Shiro sadly. “While I was not thrilled with his corruptive influence on you, Takashi, I wasn’t going to send him out into the night with nothing.”_

_“He gifted them to me!”_

_“Oh. Well. I did not know.” Lotor bowed deeply. “Takashi, my sincerest apologies. While Ulaz’s theories were unorthodox, I do understand you had an earnest, if misplaced, fondness for him. Rest assured, that Daval will loan you my own personal star charts and science journals.”_

_In his deepest, darkest fantasy, Shiro ripped up every one of Lotor’s journals and charts, and set out to find Ulaz. But… he was a broken solider. He had no servants, no money. He was still under watch by multiple doctors to make sure his body didn’t reject the Arm._

_He couldn’t do anything._

_Shiro traced the symbol that always occurred in Ulaz’s notes as Lotor kept talking._

“This is Ulaz’s.”

“No, it’s my mother’s.”

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant.” Shiro handed the knife back to Keith. I recognize the symbol. My old tutor, Ulaz, had it one his own journals. Well, the ones he wasn’t planning to publish.” Shiro only got to see those after roughly two weeks of whining. 

“So,” and there was the tiniest bit of hope in Keith’s voice, “if we find Ulaz, we can find out what this means? And maybe how my mom is connected to it?”

“Lotor banished Ulaz, so it’s not going to be easy,” Shiro admitted. “But if anyone can find him, we can.”

“… Yeah.” Keith smiled, that tiny bit of hope blossoming. It was beautiful to behold. “You’re right.” Then he staggered against Shiro. “Sorry. I’m all better, but my strength isn’t what it used to be.”

“You’ll be back to top condition before you know it.” Shiro guided Keith back to his cabin, letting Keith in before he stepped in himself… except no. Keith wasn’t feverish anymore. He didn’t need Shiro to keep him warm. In fact, it was time for Shiro to ‘move back’ into his own cabin.

“Whoops.” Shiro did his best to laugh. “I’ll let you have your own bed back.”

Keith… frowned at that, but said nothing beyond a quiet good night.

\--

_“Please…” It was so hard to think through the pain and the drugs. “Please… stop…”_

_“Oh, Takashi, I wish I could,” Lotor murmured, gazing down at him. “But reforming a broken soldier is always difficult.” He leaned in so he could whisper into Shiro’s ear. “This Arm is going to make you so useful to so many people, Takashi. Useful to me. You’ll be able to help so many people, if you can endure this minor difficulty.”_

_“Always… always difficult.” Lotor was only helping… right?_

_“Of course I’m only helping. After all, you’re everything I need. I will never let you go.” Lotor grinned toothily, yellow eyes glowing. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to touch you again, just like that pirate and his friends—”_

He woke up screaming, because Lotor knew, Lotor **knew where he was** , he was going to take Shiro away, he was going to kill everyone, he was going to **kill Keith—**

“Breathe.”

… Keith.

Shiro obeyed, deep breaths in and out. “Lotor,” he gasped weakly. “Lotor—he found me, and—”

“It was just a dream.” Keith’s hand was warm on his face, and very close to the scar on his nose. “I’ll never let Lotor hurt you again.”

He tried not to think about how Lotor said something similar about Keith in his dream. “How did you know I was having a nightmare?”

Keith looked away, sheepish. “I guess I got used to having you in the bed, because I couldn’t sleep. I was going to get a snack from the kitchen, but then I heard you yelling, and…” Keith slumped over, eyes big and guilty. It was… despite everything, cute.

And despite everything, Shiro kissed Keith on the forehead.

Keith blinked at him, hand on his forehead like he could still feel the kiss. Shiro tried not to laugh. Keith frowned when he failed. 

“Sorry.” Shiro settled down on the bed. “Well, maybe if we snuggle up together again, we can get some sleep.”

Keith rested beside him, one arm around Shiro’s waist, protecting him from the outside world, but giving him some needed space. The exact opposite of Lotor. “Are you sure?”

“With you? Always.”

Shiro wasn’t lying, but he conveniently left out the part that he was going to actually sleep. After a nightmare about the aftermath of his reformation, he knew that he wasn’t going to sleep again anytime soon. He never could after that dream. He could, however rest a bit next to someone he… cared for. That would be almost as good, honestly.

So, it was a shock to Shiro when he woke up hours later from a sound sleep, next to a snoring Keith.

\--

“Finally,” Shiro breathed as he spied the beaches of Queen Luxia’s kingdoms—mermaids weren’t keen on leaving the ocean, he’d learned through his studies, but they did keep a few settlements on land for trade purposes. Their main allies were the Balmerans, who preferred the mountains, but did have a few villages near the mermaids. There would be some guards—Lotor’s empire was so big, kingdoms had no choice but to do business with him—but they would be safe enough to run their errands.

Shiro pocketed his telescope and made his way down from the crow’s nest. Thankfully, Keith was already on deck, talking to Pidge and Hunk. “The Mermaid’s Liar is within sight. We should prepare for docking.”

Hunk broke out into a huge grin. “That’s fantastic!” 

Pidge smirked. “Unsurprisingly, Hunk wants to see his girlfriend again.”

Hunk bristled. “She is not my girlfriend, she is just—”

“A rock you admire, we know.” Pidge shrugged. “A rock you admire so much you cry every time we have to leave her—”

Hunk started chasing Pidge down the deck.

“Young love?” Shiro asked Keith as Hunk yelled at/chased Pidge.

“Young love,” Keith confirmed. Shiro was only somewhat started as Pidge escaped Hunk’s wrath by climbing up him, and clinging to his shoulder for dear life.

“Well, that’s enough of making fun of Hunk for having the gall to date for today,” Keith told Pidge. “We all have missions to complete as soon as we hit land.”

“Right.” Pidge leapt off Shiro, then frowned. “Shiro, why are you just standing there? We have work to do?”

“I have to stay on the ship, remember?” He wasn’t thrilled with the situation, but there was nothing he could do. “I’m Lotor’s kidnapped fiancé. We know that he’s trying to find me.”

Hunk’s face fell. “Oh, yeah. I guess we got so used to having you as part of the crew, we forgot that you’re not actually part of the crew.”

Keith gave Shiro a thoughtful look, then disappeared. Shiro and the others debated what scheme he was up to, but no one could reach a conclusive statement. Finally, Keith (masked again, like he was when they first met) appeared with a cloak as black as the night sky.

Keith wrapped the cloak around Shiro’s broad shoulders carefully. “It has a hood. As long as you keep your face hidden in crowds, you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you,” Shiro breathed, because there was something in the way Keith looked at him that let him know that this was more than just loaning a friend some clothes.

Keith stood on his tiptoes, very close to Shiro’s face as he arranged the hood. “It was my father’s,” he whispered. “Please be careful with it.”

Shiro smiled at him. “You have my word.”

\--

Shiro had spent that past few months on ships (Lotor’s, and now Keith’s), so it was incredibly tempting to just plop down in the first meadow he saw and take an afternoon nap. But they had a mission, and he had a cloak he’d sworn to not ruin, so he kept step behind Keith as they went off to find one of the crystal that the Balmerans were famous for farming. Hunk had explained that they needed a crystal to make a weapon when they would eventually confront Lotor.

When they eventually confronted Lotor, Keith would first put Shiro someplace safe until Lotor was defeated or some nonsense like that.

… Not without a fight, Shiro promised himself as he followed Keith’s silent, resolute footsteps. He had as much reason to want Lotor stopped as the rest of them. He would find some way to help them do that. 

“Stop, pirates!”

“I—what?!” Lance had assured them this route wasn’t guarded, but no, an earnest-eyed Galra guard pointed his finger at Shiro menacingly.

“Exactly what I’d expect a pirate to say! Well, Varkon knows all of your naval tricks from the adventure stories he’s read, and—”

“We aren’t pirates!” Shiro said, a little loudly. He looked at Keith for help. “Right?”

“Right,” Keith said slowly. “We. We are rangers.”

“Rangers?” Varkon eyed them critically.

“Yes, rangers,” Keith assured him.

Varkon frowned. “I know every ranger in these kingdoms.”

“Well, we’re new.” Keith saluted Varkon. “I am Thunderstorm Darkness, and this is my partner… Angel Hart.”

… If was a good thing Lance wasn’t here, Shiro realized, otherwise he would never let them live this down.

“Well, you have cool names, so I guess you’re right!” Varkon saluted them back. “Good luck, rangers.”

“Thunderstorm Darkness? Angel Hart?!” Shiro hissed when they were out of earshot. 

“Oh, like you could come up with anything better!” Keith hissed back.

… It was true. Shiro probably would have panicked and called himself Takashi Shirogane, ruining his cover in the process. But still!

\--

“We don’t need these anymore,” Keith said as he took off his mask. “The crystals have this weird energy. I can’t explain it as well as Allura could, but we’re safe here.”

Shiro pushed the hood back, taking in the sights. They were only a few miles from where they’d docked, but you would never guess it. They were near a cave surrounded by thick vegetation, and a stream with eyesight. The leaves filtered out most of the sunlight, but the glow from the crystal gave enough light to see, casting the world in a deep blue glow.

“It’s beautiful.” Shiro’s voice was soft as he took it in. Ulaz had told him about places like this—they had even considered arrangement to visit a crystal growth before everything had gone wrong—but seeing it with his own eyes was something. He’d never thought he’d get to see anything beyond the castle walls after his marriage, but now… now he was free.

He turned to ask Keith what he thought of it all, but Keith was kneeling down, holding out his hand to a small puppy (although the glowing eyes suggested there was something otherworldly about said puppy). “Hey, boy.” Keith chucked as the puppy nuzzled his hand. “I missed you too, Kosmo.”

“Friend of yours?” Shiro stood beside Keith and Kosmo.

“Future ship’s dog,” Keith explained. “When I found him, he was hurt, so Shay’s been nursing him.”

“How did he get hurt?”

Keith’s eyes grew stormy and dark, even as he petted Kosmo gently. “There was a hunter named Throk. He killed Kosmo’s mother. I was on patrol when I caught him, and I managed to save Kosmo, but there was nothing I could do for her.”

Throk? That name was very familiar.

_“Throk is a fool, but even fools have their uses,” Lotor said to Shiro over dinner. Shiro didn’t think that speaking of your subordinates that way was hardly wise, but Lotor was the Emperor, after all. “I’ll have him sent to the Balmeran border to help some of the locals. That ought to deflate his ambitions.”_

_Shiro frowned. “Aren’t you worried that might inspire him to rise up against you?”_

_Lotor smirked. “Throk’s chief passion is hunting. I have conveniently convinced the Balmeran government to ease restrictions on hunting. He’ll be too busy distracting himself to consider insurrection.”_

Lotor. Every bad thing in the world was somehow, someway connected to Lotor. Everyone he cared about had been hurt, or sent away by Lotor.

And he had been ready to marry Lotor willfully. 

Happily.

He had no right to cry, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

“Shiro.” Keith stood up, eyes wide with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, everything’s fine—” So, of course Kosmo butted his head against Shiro’s leg in a display of sympathy, which made him cry even harder.

“Shiro, please tell me what’s wrong.” Keith was pleading as he gripped Shiro’s shoulder. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”

“I—stood there—and I—and I let Lotor do all those horrible things.” It came out as a weepy mess—he had no clue if Keith understood any of it. Shiro wasn’t sure he fully understood himself. “I—could have—but I didn’t—”

“Shiro, you were coerced to marry him.”

He shook his head, because no, that was wrong. “I—I said yes—” He mentally pleaded with whoever was out there to make Keith agree, to make Keith hate Shiro as much as Shiro hated himself right now.

“Shiro.” Keith’s voice was gentler than he deserved. “I don’t claim to know everything about you and Lotor. But you kept talking about how you broken and he reformed you, and that’s not how it should work, even if it’s a political marriage. He sent away your one remaining connection to the outside world with Ulaz. He… he used you to test out his Arm. Feel free to correct me if I’m genuinely wrong, but I don’t think you were really able to make a true decision.”

“I know,” Shiro whispered flatly. “But I should have fought harder. I should have realized.”

“You were surviving.” Keith smiled sadly. “And I’m glad you survived. I’m glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I met you, too.” Shiro wiped his tears away. He still felt raw, but... but he was happy, in a way. All his doubts and concerns Lotor had dismissed as nonsense hadn’t been weakness. He’d been right all along. It just wasn’t until he got away from Lotor’s control that he could realize that. It had taken some time, but Shiro had gone from surviving to being a person again. 

And he was a person who was willing to fight for what he wanted, he was beginning to learn.

“Keith, can I kiss you?”

Keith blinked. “But you were just crying.”

Shiro let out a short of laughter, which made Kosmo’s ears perk up. “I was, but the worst has passed. And… and I love you so much that I feel like kissing you is a good idea, even if I still feel crummy.” Keith could refuse—he had every right to, if he did not wish for this. But Shiro wanted to at least know what would happen, if he pursued this. “But only with your permission.”

Keith said nothing, opting instead for to pull Shiro in for a kiss.

The first kiss was awkward, and a little stiff.

The second kiss involved them laughing as they tried to kiss without bumping noses.

But the third time, Keith had just enough experience at this point to make Shiro moan with pleasure, pulling Keith impossibly close to him.

\--

“Yes, ma’am! Two rangers were here, a Thunderstorm Darkness and an Angel Hart! They didn’t tell me where they were going, however.”

“That’s all right,” the young woman said with a smile that didn’t touch her eyes. “You’ve been very helpful.” More than helpful—he’d given her the first real lead she’d had in weeks.

Lotor had learned from his mistakes when Sendak had failed. Instead of brute strength, he chose a woman with abilities that lied in stealth and subterfuge—and when she had refused such a dangerous mission, Lotor had imprisoned her wife, leaving Ezor with no option but to cooperate if she ever wanted to see Zethrid again. 

There was nothing more powerful than love, after all. 

\--

Final Notes: You better believe I'm gonna start sneaking in "Monsters and Mana" references into my fantasy AU fics! Also, shout out to LM and JDS who (iirc) came up with the name Thunderstorm Darkness for Keith. It may not be super obvious, but: iirc, LM said that Keith reminds her a little of Squall Leonhart from FF8 (which probably explains the M&M name). Shiro reminds me very strongly of Rinoa for various reasons (especially now that he has the angel aesthetic going on), so the "Angel Hart" name was a shout out to her. (The kiss scene, of course, is inspired from FF10.)


End file.
